When we see the nature of the mind, we see that we are not our thoughts.

The restraint of the senses is not a matter of suppression but of wise attention to our experience.

When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.

The time of the past becomes the present, the time of the present becomes the future, the time of the future becomes the present, and the time of the present becomes the past.

The more a thing tends to be permanent, the more it tends to be lifeless.

Do everything with a mind that lets go. Don't accept praise or gain or anything else. If you let go a little, you will have a little peace; if you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace.

Your purpose in life is to find your purpose and give your whole heart and soul to it.

Short moments, many times. That is the essence of meditation practice.

Our emotions are like waves in the ocean. We can't stop the waves, but we can learn to surf.

Whatever is dependently co-arisen, that is explained to be emptiness. That, being a dependent designation, is itself the middle way.

The more you give, the more you have. That's the economics of kindness.

Past thoughts are traceless, clear, and empty. Future thoughts are unborn and fresh. The present moment abides naturally and unconstructed.

The root of suffering is resisting the certainty that no matter what the circumstances, uncertainty is all we truly have.

The zazen I speak of is not meditation practice. It is simply the dharma gate of joyful ease.

The nature of mind is not something we need to achieve - it's something we need to recognize.

Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay.

In the end, just three things matter: How well we have lived, how well we have loved, how well we have learned to let go.

Reality is only a Rorschach ink-blot, you know.

The door of your heart can only be opened from the inside.

Mindfulness is the quality and power of mind that is aware of what's happening—without judgment and without interference.

The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Equanimity is not indifference. It is the balanced mind that sees things clearly without reaction.

When you realize the emptiness of all phenomena, compassion will arise in your heart for all sentient beings who do not understand this truth.

Zen is a way of life, not a theory or a piece of knowledge to be stored away in our minds.

The nature of mind is clearer than the sky, yet we keep looking elsewhere.

If you want to know your past life, look into your present condition; if you want to know your future life, look into your present actions.

Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.

All worldly pursuits have but one unavoidable and inevitable end, which is sorrow; acquisitions end in dispersion; buildings in destruction; meetings in separation; births in death.

Each decision we make, each action we take, is born out of an intention.

Meditation is not about getting rid of thoughts; it's about changing the way we relate to them.

Every intelligent individual wants to know what makes him tick, and yet is at once fascinated and frustrated by the fact that oneself is the most difficult of all things to know.

The movement of love is what creates the beauty in our lives.

When mindfulness is weak, defilements are strong; when mindfulness is strong, defilements are weak.